Skip to content

News

Recap: Webinar om Alternatives to Detention

With more than 30 participants present CEP started its first webinar of 2025 on Thursday 23 January. This session explored penalties and alternative punitive measures to imprisonment within the Polish justice system, offering valuable insights and practical examples to participants from across Europe.

 

Since its very beginning, the probation system in Poland has been organizationally linked to the courts. The system which is of a dual character gather over 5 000 professional probation officers and 15 000 community probation officers working within it. Currently, the prevailing model is a professional-community one, with professional probation officers (both family and criminal probation) being supported by community probation officers.

Poland has the highest probation population rates in Europe managing a significant number of cases involving electronic monitoring (around 7 000 active cases) as well as the highest number of juveniles (around 25 000) under probation supervision. As of 2022 the Institution of probation centers in Poland operates under the framework established by the Act on Supporting and Resocializing Juveniles. Probation centers are designed to provide educational and rehabilitative support to juveniles exhibiting signs of demoralization or those who have committed punishable acts.
Within the Lower Silesian Region, the WrocÅ‚aw Restorative Justice Center (WCSN) and the Association of Court Probation Officers “Frontis” are the main initiators behind the promotion and application of restorative justice and its principles.

The presentation can be found here.

The video will be published soon.

Related News

Keep up to date with the latest developments, stories, and updates on probation from across Europe and beyond. Find relevant news and insights shaping the field today.

Recap

Framework Decisions

Recap: annual meeting of the Expert Network on Framework Decisions 829 and 947

09/11/2026

On Thursday 5 November an annual meeting of the Expert Network on Framework Decisions 829 and 947 took place online. Bringing together 20 participants from 12 EU jurisdictions including representatives of the Academy of European Law and European Judicial Network, the meeting provided an opportunity to exchange experiences, discuss current implementation challenges and identify priorities for enhancing cross-border cooperation in the application of the two Framework Decisions. 

New

Education and Training, Probation in Europe

Justice programme: the judicial training call is open for applications!

09/11/2026

Are you ready to help address the training needs of justice professionals from different EU countries in the fields of civil law, criminal law and fundamental rights? This call supports cross-border training projects contributing to the effective and consistent application of EU law. In line with the new European Judicial Training Strategy, the call also supports the digitalisation of justice. Don’t miss this opportunity! Apply by 4 March 2027, 17:00 Brussels time.

More info

 

 

 

 

 

Recap

CEP Board, Foreign Nationals in Prison and Probation, Probation in Europe

CEP at the 16th Plenary Meeting of the Council for Penological Co-operation

06/11/2026

From 3 to 5 November 2026, representatives of the Confederation of European Probation (CEP) participated in the 16th Plenary Meeting of the Council for Penological Co-operation (PC-CP).

New

CEP

Newsletter October 2026 out now

29/10/2026

CEP’s latest newsletter is out now! It includes:

 >> Read here

>>Read previous newsletters

New

Violent Extremism

Understanding Youth Radicalisation: What Can Probation Services Do? | New Report from CEP’s Expert Group

27/10/2026

In recent decades, the violent radicalisation of juveniles and young adults has become a pressing concern for policymakers, researchers, practitioners, and communities worldwide. While considerable attention has been devoted to psychological vulnerabilities, socio-economic marginalisation, and community-level influences, the broader context in which violent radicalisation develops is often overlooked. At the same time, the increasing involvement of young people in violent extremist offences highlights the urgent need for effective prevention efforts. Addressing youth radicalisation has become a complex and evolving challenge for families, educators, mental health professionals, law enforcement agencies, probation services, and security authorities.

Recap

Probation in Europe

Reflections on the European Society of Criminology Conference 2026 | From Criminological Research to Probation Practice

26/10/2026

At CEP, we are fascinated by research from across Europe and beyond, and by helping it reach the people who can use it. Ruth Armstrong, CEP Research and Policy Officer, went to the 26th Annual Conference of the European Society of Criminology (EuroCrim 2026 – Working Group on Community Sanctions and Measures) that took place in Warsaw, Poland, from 9–12 September 2026.

Against a backdrop of overcrowded prisons and net-widening (with ever more people drawn into supervision), three questions kept coming up in the research: how time shapes justice, what we mean by success, and how we define harm.

Subscribe to our bi-monthly email newsletter!